Kreuter Firing Wasn't Solely Haden's Decision
by Joey Kaufman on Sep 27, 2010 10:21 PM PDT
in USC Baseball
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PrintGranted, we may be just five days away from the biggest game on the gridiron Saturday against Washington in a nationally televised home date, but Kendall Rogers of Yahoo! Sports has some interesting tidbits from Heritage Hall regarding the baseball side of things. Regarding the firing of manager Chad Kreuter, Yahoo! Sports notes the following:
The decision to part ways with Kreuter made sense. Frankly, it was surprising the Trojans waited so long to make a change. Claiming to be visionaries, they were left with no choice but to sever ties with Kreuter after the Trojans failed to make an NCAA postseason appearance and ended last season with a dismal 28-32 record.
"Kreuter did some nice things at USC, especially on the academic side, but this was something that was in the works when I took the job," Haden said. "I hated to have to make that type of decision a few days after taking over, but I didn't want our recruits that were drafted making a decision on whether to sign without knowing who would be in charge of the program."
Rather interesting, since it was widely reported, at least initially, that Haden was the man behind the Kreuter firing, earning him tons of praise from the message board geeks. Subsequently, if Haden's wasn't solely responsible for the decision to let Kreuter walk, how much does this change the perception of him?
I'm not sure it does, or even should, but nonetheless, it does raise the question as to whether Haden is as proactive as many have labeled him to be.
Feel free to sound off.
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Excellent commentary Joey!
I’m thinking the same thing about AD Haden. It’s not too much to ask of our AD to make command decisions. I hope the version of Pat Haden which we’re seeing now hasn’t tempered any of his enthusiasm to make champions out of all-things Trojan. He is a legend and that’ll never be in dispute. But, at what hour does he wake up?
THIS IS USC, dad-gummit! He needn’t worry about recruits and shit when it comes to our baseball team. We’re the Bruins of college baseball! (that DID NOT SOUND RIGHT!). Anyway- every little batter and hurler out there in little leagues would DIE TO play for ‘SC! We’ve got the hottest recruiting ground, the legacy, the lore, the titles, the domination, the FREAKING EVERYTHING!
Smell that darn coffee Pat! Holy Field of Dreams, already.
What are the chances of getting Gillespie back? (that would be MAJESTIC! and it would just set so many good things right for a lot of Trojan fans. it surely would)
"Fun fact: My grandma actually had 7 carries for 79 yards and one TD last year against Stanford. The (Oregon Ducks) spread option just works like that, but it helped that she’s pretty scrappy" (JShufelt- Addicted to Quack)
by BixBeiderbecke on Sep 28, 2010 12:36 AM PDT reply actions
Yea, it was a rather forthright decision
However, at the same time, if it was already in the works, how much should we give Haden credit for axing Kreuter. As I recall, most of us at the time of the firing were incredibly enthused with Haden’s boldness, ridding of Kreuter just 6 days into the job.
In actuality, it does seem as if he had a lot less say in the matter than we originally thought.
Follow me on twitter @Joey_Kaufman
by Joey Kaufman on Sep 28, 2010 12:52 AM PDT up reply actions
Sanctions?
It might be more of a bitch to run things, adminstratively-speaking, than the average Trojan fan might think, as it applies to our new regimes in academics and athletics? He’s got his hands full, that’s for sure.
What a crazy job to have! Nuts.
"Fun fact: My grandma actually had 7 carries for 79 yards and one TD last year against Stanford. The (Oregon Ducks) spread option just works like that, but it helped that she’s pretty scrappy" (JShufelt- Addicted to Quack)
by BixBeiderbecke on Sep 28, 2010 1:24 AM PDT up reply actions
Absolutely. No question he has his hands full.
Which is why some people wondered why he even took the job to begin with.
I remember talking to my dad when this came out, and he begged the question as to why Haden would even want to take over as AD. He was already on the board of trustees (the policy makers for the university), so in a sense he was taking a demotion, where the job would be infinitely more challenging.
The good thing is that would seem to indicate that he wants to be here to get the ship headed in the right direction.
Follow me on twitter @Joey_Kaufman
by Joey Kaufman on Sep 28, 2010 1:32 AM PDT up reply actions
So, then who's on the short list?
I can’t stand to see the Arizona schools just leap right by us and do well for so long. And Ucla this year? Crazy.Mutha.Freaking.Pitching.Over.THERE!
"Fun fact: My grandma actually had 7 carries for 79 yards and one TD last year against Stanford. The (Oregon Ducks) spread option just works like that, but it helped that she’s pretty scrappy" (JShufelt- Addicted to Quack)
by BixBeiderbecke on Sep 28, 2010 1:36 AM PDT up reply actions
Haden is probably speaking the truth...
…but it’s not his job to speak truth about the behind the scenes stuff. He should take ownership of this decision, for better ro worse, as it happened on his watch. I’m not sure why he didn’t accept full responsibility. Perhaps:
1. He’s reluctant to take credit for a popular move that wasn’t all his doing. If so, then he’s in the wrong job. As AD, he should expect to take heat for things that aren’t necessarly his fault, and to get credit for things that happen through good fortune.
2. He’s sensitive about being seen as a guy who fires people hastily. But there’s no room for sensitive people in the AD department. He needs to check his “nice guy” image at the door. Fans want a decisive leader who gets results, not a guy who makes friends. There was plenty of legitimate cause to fire Kreuter. No apoplogy or explanation was needed.
3. His default mode of speaking is to tell the truth. If so, hopefully he’ll get more savy with time. No real damage was done with his Kreuter comments, as Kreuter’s firing was a necessary step, and you never look bad supporting the players. However, in the future, he should be prepared to say the right things, rather than the complete truth, when the situatuion call for it.
Really don't care who's decision it was, now they need to get a new coach.
Haden is just another man in this world as was the AD before him and the ones before that, most ADs are goofs anyway just a puppet.
35-TO Nothing---------Yep the LA Monopoly is a changing------
Oh and Duckies you might quack but I throw bricks back---so don't come here empty handed
by so.cal.native1952 on Sep 28, 2010 7:45 AM PDT reply actions
Try the opposite: what would you have said if he had put the brakes on this?
I think instead of worrying about whether Haden should “get all the credit,” you should just consider what you’d be saying if he had decided to put a hold on all pre-existing actions when he took the job.
I think that TrojanJAG may be on to something, that this is more likely to be an excess of candor, but at the moment that’s not a bad thing. I know that we all support SC come what may, but IMHO Haden is doing a very good job of playing the role in a way that deals with public opinion. You may have noticed that a lot of people think that SC got hammered by the NCAA for arrogance, and Mike Garrett didn’t exactly help defuse that image. By being accessible and not working strictly off the language of press releases, Haden counters those PR issues.
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea"
+1
Clearly, the COI exploited public opinion to fuel their predetermined agenda. Haden is a welcome improvement over Garrett in the realm of public opinion. It is still doubtful whether the NCAA has the spine to genuinely consider USC’s appeal, but without a concerted public relations effort on Haden’s part, USC would probably have no chance to receive equitable penalties for the confirmed violations.
It’s unfortunate that public opinion should influence the administration of justice. But it is naive to expect otherwise. Had USC better understood what the COI really was, what it was capable of doing, and how it would justify it, USC would have been well-served to have made a change at AD after the OJ Mayo allegations came to light. Hindsight is 20 20, but better late than never.
Excellent!
USC students, faculty, and it’s legion of fans have been living the good life these past 20 years. We’ve gotten better as a university in many areas, on many levels, and across the board. We haven’t slowed down since the ’90’s! We got bitch-slapped by these sanctions. We got taken down a notch or two.
AD Haden’s doing an admirable job, and as tough as a pill as it is to swallow- Trojan Nation must change their attitude about certain things regarding our place among elite institutions. We can’t go on past glory, new found respect, and consistent domination. We HAVE to operate humbly moving forward. It’s best for all issues and concerns that plague us.
It’s just hard, is all. AD Haden is not “meek”. He’s just NOT Garrett. We’re in the infancy of having to deal with all that has been placed upon us. We’re going to vent and get/become frustrated. So long as we stick together, hang tough, remain staunchly supportive of all things coming out of Heritage Hall- we’ll be EVEN BETTER, STRONGER, AND WISER.
DC- my man! You’ve got to post more, dude. The last thing we read from you was the World Cup stuff. You’re too damn good to NOT put up your commentary. Truly and sincerely- your take on things keeps us sane and your way with words is unparalleled. I’m not trying to blow smoke here. I mean it. And . . . .I’ll always say and believe it.
Fight On DC!
"Fun fact: My grandma actually had 7 carries for 79 yards and one TD last year against Stanford. The (Oregon Ducks) spread option just works like that, but it helped that she’s pretty scrappy" (JShufelt- Addicted to Quack)
by BixBeiderbecke on Sep 28, 2010 9:12 AM PDT up reply actions
I’m going to try. I’ve got a couple of ideas for longer posts, the challenge is going to be turning them around in something like a reasonable time because I have a metric tonne of shit coming my way for work in October. (Don’t get me wrong, I like being employed.)
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea"
+1
PH is playing the hand he is dealt. I don’t give much value to the Kreuter decision as it was a no brainer whoever was responsible. PH probably could have stopped it, if he wished, so his approval means that he was certainly a responsible party.
Max and Pat are working the PR front. Apparently, they even went to Indy to visit the NCAA! Mike Garrett would only have done that if they dragged his dead body there.
You can't put sanctions on the fkn endzone! Death to the NCAA!
I hadn't seen that
It’s smart politics on the part of Haden and Nikias. Given that 1) Sample said one of his regrets early on was not getting more involved with hiring etc., in the Athletic Department, and 2) Nikias is viewed as Sample’s pick / protege, I get the impression that the Max and Pat Show is demonstrating the lessons learned from the early days of the Sample era.
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea"
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